Bag cleaning machine



Ap Q L. 'BURWICK ETAL 2,398,356

BAG CLEANING MACHINE Filed Nov. 4., 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet l INQVENTORS 1.[a BUR w/e K J0 JEPHZJPR nv 65R p l 1946; L.. BURWICK ET AL 2,398,356

- BAG CLEANING MACHINE Filed Nov. 4, 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 /lllll::

' Patented Apr. 16, 1946 5m x Leo "Burwick' andJoseph Ja- Springer,Buffalo, a i NLY assignors to Carl Burwiclc 'lh 'Company ai 7 f1partnershipcomposed of Carl Burwick, Hyman Burwiek, Israel Burwick,and:Leo Burwick i A plication November 4, 1943; Serial No: 508926 peclaims. (01.1223-43): This invention relates" to'bag cleaning machines,particularly of the type using air suction for removing particles fromthe bags;

Objects of the invention'include the provision of a continuouslyoperating automaticmachine having means rendering'the same capable ofclamping bags in series, moving the bags intooperative location relativeto an air suction device so thatthe bag is projected into the device forthe initial cleaning step, at the same time the bag beingthereby turnedinside out; while still clamped the bag isadvanced and the bag clampv isrotatedlBO degrees to position the inverted bag in'a location to beacted upon by a second air suction device'which performs the finalcleaning operation and-again reverses the bag to its original condition;theelampbeing then again rotated180 degrees to bring-it to labor to beperformed-except in initially "posioriginalposition, and clean; thebagthen being discharged and the bag clamp advancing to the originalloading position, thus completing the cycle.

Further objects of the inventioninclude the V provision of .acontinuously operating automatic bagjcleaning machine which is soconstructed that the only. action necessary on the part of the operatoris to insert the open end of the bag in a holder which f-automaticallyclamps the bag in open position; the provision ofa bag cleaning machineas aforesaid comprising a rotating plat form on which are mounted aplurality of rotatable shafts in general radial relationthereto, eachshaft being provided .at its outer end with tion so as to clean the bagtw distance: of approximately four feet'f ro' m the floor. The operatorlpicksup a bag andholdsit by its open 'end under the openingin the pipe,whereupon'th'e air suction will invert the bag and draw itjup into thepipe"to'anextent'limited by the operator; the operatorthenf pulls theinverted bag down out of thepipeand'rjepeats the opera once for eachside, and this results in returning'.'the{bag to its original positionafterthe cleaningh'as been a'ccomplished. V Thepresent"inventionTpi'ovides a machine for accomplishing" jth abovestated action mechanically and "automatically with notioning'theb'ag'in'thehiachirie;

Agenerally vertically arrangedh us'ing' I is provided, this'housing'being supported on' the floor or'on "some'other support and in thepresent instance being shown as cylindrica'l. Centrally ofhousing Illand'supportedby any convenient means'therein'there is avertical shaftll?which 7 may be driven at a relativelyfslow' speedby any desiredmeans. Aplatform 'Hl'is mounted on shaft [2 .to' rotate therewith as byme'an'sofa bracket 1601' other conyenientdevioe; Supported V frdm the housinglfl'infixedrelationthereto and automatic clampingmea'ns for holding thebag in position for the cleaning operation with the bag held open; incombinationwith means such as a mutilated gearfor intermittently"rotating the shaft, that is, subsequent to .an'initial'cleam ing stepwherein the bag is reversed "and again rotating the shaft after asecondcleaning'operation which also invertsth'e bag'so that the latterwill be discharged from-the machine in itsoriginal condition but'havingbeen, air cleaned.

Further objects and advantages of the-invention will appear hereinafter,reference beingjhad to the accompanyingdrawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine embodying the invention; l

Fig; 2 is 1a view in elevation showing; the parts I Fig. 5 showsthesame'prior to the initial ro-- tation.

In cleaning bags Icy.v air suction it has been heretofore thepracticetto .arrange a vertical air pipe or 'conduit havingdts"lower endopen at a having gear teeth I and 22, thgear-beingblank. A number ofsubstantially radial" shafts" V are,

surrounding shaft [2 there is a mutilated fgear il 8 mounted in bearings24 on platform l ltorotate therewith. In the present instance',f oiir"ofthese shafts indicated ate26, 28, and 32, are shown, but it is tobe'understoodthat any 'n'umberi'of shafts maybe employed. Each of theshafts is provided with a pinion gear'34 fixed'thereto for a purposetobe describ'ed, and at its outermost end each shaft is provided'with'acircularcollar as at'36. Collars 3B are fasttothe respectiveshafts for rotation therewith Each shaft is also provided with a fixedlug 38 which pivotally mounts a pair of'substantially bell crank shapedelements'dfl Which-extend mitwardly and terminatein curved clamping arms42 which conform to the shapejof thecircul'ar collars 36. The lugs38Ijare fast toth'eirirespective shafts and rotate therewith but are"restrained from sliding motion by'a'ny'desired'orconvenient 2 means.Each shaft is also provided with a slidable but non-rotatable. lug 44;each" of which carries a depending 'pin'45. Lugs 44 are connected tolugs 38 by means, of a pair of tension springs 48 for the purpose ofnormally maintaining the lugd in outwardradial position on' its shaft.

- cranks 40,

springs 48willmaintain the clamping arms 42 in' Lugs 44 may be movedradially inwardly of the shaft against thetensionfof springs 48. Eachlug' M is p'rovided'with'a pair'of pivoted' 'lev'ers 50 which intu'rnare pivoted to the'ends of "the bell This construction provides thatwill be seen that the platform M dependingly mounts radial shafts 52',there being a shaft 52 for each of the shafts, V mounted above theplatform Shafts 52an'd their respective operating shafts 26,;etc.,areparallel and are connected by meansofpinions 54- which mesh withgears 34 so that rotation of shafts 52 will rotate their connectedshafts and thus will rotate the collars and arms 42 comprising the bagholders. Each shaft 52 is provided at its innermost end with a gear 56which is arrangedto mesh intermittently with the mutilated gear l8 andthus it'will be seen that shaft 28 in Fig.1 will rotate 180 degreesbefore it assumes the position of shaft 30 and likewise shaft 30 in Fig.1 will rotate 180 degrees before it assumes theposition of shaft 32, sothat shafts 26, 28 and 30, in Fig, 1, are so arranged that the pins 46associated'therewith depend, but the pin 46 associated with shaft 36extends upwardly. In Fig. 1 the air suction pipes Willbe arrangeddirectly over the positions shown in Fig. 3 for the bag holdersforshafts 28 and 36 and at these two, pointsthei two cleaning operationsoccur. The illustration of Fig. 2 jis'made with platform I l having beenrotated counter-clockwise, as seen in Fig. 1, a distance of 4.5 degrees,the air pipe indicated at 60 will be located asshown, and at this pointin the rotation of the device no cleaning is being done; whereas in'theFig, 3 showing one of the bags is illustrated as being cleaned.

A cam rod 62 is mounted on the exterior of housinglfl in fixed relationthereon, and this rod is provided with outwardly-extending lips 64, 66.Rod 62 is not concentric with shaft ,l2 and it is arranged so thatdepending pins 46 will be engaged by the lip 64 to slightly retract lug'44 to release a bag and as the platform l4 advances in acounterclockwise direction 111 will be further retracted to openclamping arms 42 to a greater degree as shown with relation to shaft 26inFig. 1. j l

,In Fig. 1 shaft 26 shows the loading position, shaft 28 shows theposition ofinitial cleaning, shaft'30 shows the position for the secondcleaning, and shaft 32 shows, the discharge position. The operator picksup a'bag by its open end and arranges it about collar 36 in position tobe clamped by arms 42 as the lip 66 is-reached in the progress of themachine. The bag will depend down about the exterior of element 36 asshown at the right in Fig. 2. When the position of shaft 28 is reachedthe continuously operating air suction apparatus will brin the dependingbag upwardly through the circular collar 36 and into the air pipe 66 asillustrated at the right in Fig. 3. 'This action obviously inverts thebag. As the machine progresses the bag will be withdrawn from the airsuction pipe 60 and will'trail down over the trailing edge of theholder. From the position of shaft 28 to the'position of that at 30 gear2ll will.cause shaft 62to, rotatein a 7 direction to rotate the shaftthrough 180 degrees so that the bag will now hang freely from the holderas originally placed on the machine but inverted. At the, position ofshaft 36 the bag is againpro jected up into the second air pipe andreinverted, after which the bag will trail again over the trailing sideof the bag holder. From the position of shaft 30'to that of shaft 32,gear 33- will cause a further rotation of the bag holder through 180degrees to complete a full turn of 360 degrees and thus bring the bagback to its original position, whereuponjitji discharged from the machinas above described. -Allthe operator has to do is to arrange the bags onthe collair 36 at the loading station, the rest of the operations beingcompletely automatic.

Any well known friction clamp may be provided. to yieldingly hold Ttheshafts 26, 28, 3D, or 32 'in horizontal position, such device not beinshown for. purposes of clarity of illustration.

Having thus described our invention and the advantages thereof, we donot wish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise thanas set forth in the claims, but what we claim is:

1. A bag cleaning apparatus comprising a rotary support, a series ofradial rotary shafts thereon, a bag clamp in the form of a hoop on eachshaft, said supporthaving a loadingstationgand a discharge station, saidbag clamps being normally horizontally disposed, a pair of air suctiondevices beneath which the clamps pass, and means to rotate the shaftsand bag clamps a half turn after each air suction device is passed bythe clamps. i

2. A bag cleaning .apparatu comprising a ro tary support, means torotate the support, a series of radial rotatable shafts on the support,a generally" hoop-shaped bag ,holder on each shaft, means associated,with each holder to clamp a bag in open-mouth dependent positionthereon, a pair, ofspaced air. suction devices in the path of travel ofthe holders, said suction devices drawing the bags severally through theholders and inverting the bags while cleaning th same, and shaftrotating means to. invert the holders.

3. A bag cleaning apparatus comprising a rotarysupport, mean to rotatethe support, a series of radial shafts 0n the support, means tointermittently rotate the shafts, a hoop-shaped bag holderv on eachshaft, a clamp for each holder, a pair of air cleaning suctiondeviceshaving operative ranges in the path of. the holders as the supportrotates, said shaft rotating means alternating withthe suction devicesin the direction of movement of the support.

.4. Apparatus of the class described comprising a support, a bag clampin'hollow form for clamping a bag in' open-dependent condition thereon,means to invert the bag, means to invert the bag clamp; and a second baginverting device to reinvert the bag and a second bag clamp invertingmeans.

class. described comprising a support, a bag clamp in hollow form forclamping a bag in open dependent condition thereon, means to invertthebag, means to invert the bagclamp, a second bag inverting device toreinvert the bag, a second bagclamp inverting means, and mean to freethe bag from theclamp. T

6. A bag cleaning apparatus comprising a series of bag clamps, means tomove the clamps in a closed path, a. pair of spaced air suction cleaningdevices adjacent said path to act on the bags severally to clean andinvert the same. bag clamp inverting means located to rotate the clampsbetween the air suction devices, and a second bag clamp inverting meansacting subsequent to the second cleaning and inverting device.

LEOBURWICK,

JOSEPH J, SPRINGER.

